Key Points
- Regular cleaning is the best way to prevent mold.
- Use a steam cleaner to remove mold in small areas.
- Use vinegar over bleach to remove mold.
Your shower should be a place that feels calm, clean, and refreshing. Unfortunately, these spaces can also be a breeding place for mildew and mold due to high levels of humidity, which creates the opposite environment.
You can stay on top of removing and preventing shower mold with a few good cleaning practices. We spoke with Alex Varela, general manager of Dallas Maids, for her best tips on how to clean moldy shower spots.
Meet the Expert
Alex Varela is the general manager of Dallas Maids, a cleaning business.
Moldy Grout
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Shower tile grout can easily accumulate mold due to the tight space, leaving your shower looking worse for wear. Not only is grout mold gross, but it’s difficult to clean.
Varela’s preferred way to get rid of mold in grout, or anywhere, is with a steam cleaner.
“Steam reaches deeper into pores and small surfaces like grout,” she says. “I’ve found it helpful because it’s boiling hot and helps kill mold and loosen up all the gunk out of the surface, and it’s perfect for hard-to-reach areas.”
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Moldy Caulk
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If you’ve noticed black or green spots along your shower caulk, it’s better to act quickly.
“Moldy shower caulk is a bit tricky because caulk or silicone are more likely to stain and harder to scrub because they can peel or damage,” Varela says.
Run your steam cleaner along the caulk, and then mix soap and white vinegar and use the mixture to scrub the surface. If this method doesn’t work after a few tries, it may be time to scrape out the moldy caulk and replace it.
Moldy Curtain Liners
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Shower curtain liners can easily hold onto moisture, making them a shower mold hot spot.
Luckily, some curtain liners are machine washable. Check the care label to see if the liner can be washed in the machine or not. Varela says to wash them in hot water with a few towels so the washer doesn’t damage your liners. During the final rinse cycle, add a half cup of vinegar to kill any remaining mold.
If your curtain liners need to be hand-washed, soak them in a tub of vinegar before hand-washing with hot water and soap, and then rinsing with water. Spraying your curtain liners with a water-vinegar mixture after each shower will prevent mold from coming back.
Moldy Drains
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Smelly, moldy drains are easily fixed with some hot water and vinegar, Varela says.
First, steam clean the drain using the nozzle attachment to loosen up the mold. Then, wipe and scrub as much of the mold as possible on the drain’s surface, cover, and inside the drain.
Pour one gallon of hot water down the drain, followed by a cup of vinegar. Wait five minutes, and then pour another gallon of water down the drain to flush out any remaining mold.
